In-situ permeability from physics-based integration of poroelastic reflection coefficients

A reliable estimate of the in-situ permeability of a porous layer in the subsurface is extremely difficult to obtain. We have observed that at the field seismic frequency band the poroelastic behaviour for different seismic wave modes can differ in such a way that their combination can give unique estimates of in-situ permeability and porosity simultaneously. We have integrated the angle- and frequency-dependent poroelastic reflection coefficients of different seismic wave modes, and have tested the results through numerical simulations. The estimated values of permeability and porosity appear to be robust against uncertainties in the employed poroelastic attenuation mechanism. Potential applications of this approach exist in hydrocarbon exploration, hydrogeology, and geotechnical engineering.